MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- It’s the price for going all in on a run at the Western Hockey League championship.
With the Western Hockey League Draft Lottery taking place on Wednesday afternoon, the Moose Jaw Warriors will have little to do through the first four rounds when the event takes place on Thursday, May 9.
The Warriors have a single pick through the opening rounds -- that being a second-round selection -- largely thanks to general manager Jason Ripplinger using picks as assets in building the title-quest team they have today.
Moose Jaw would have had the 10th overall selection, but after acquiring that pick in the trade that sent defenceman Marek Howell to Vancouver this past summer for Ethan Semeniuk, the Warriors subsequently sent it to Wenatchee in the massive deadline deal that brought Matthew Savoie into the Warriors fold.
Moose Jaw’s 18th overall selection in the first round belongs to Victoria, part of the Oct. 5 deal that saw Kalem Parker and Brayden Schuurman join the Warriors.
The Warriors’ third-round pick in 2024 was also part of the Savoie trade and their fourth-round pick was part of the Vancouver deal.
All told, Moose Jaw will have two fifth-round picks, one in each of the sixth-through-ninth rounds, two in the 10th and one each in the 11th and 12th.
The Everett Silvertips will pick first overall in 2024, followed by Prince Albert, Tri-City, Kelowna and Edmonton in rounding out the top five.
Selection order for the U.S. Priority Draft on Wednesday, May 8 was also announced Wednesday, with the Warriors selecting 18th overall and 40th overall. Regina will have the top pick in the first round, Kamloops in the second.
